Leviticus 6:8-7:38 | Sunday March 30, 2025
Through the first 5 chapters of Leviticus God has revealed the 5 major offerings, the whole burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the guilt (trespass) offering. These offerings have revealed the consequence of sin is death and have showed the pollution that sin brings. Each animal death and presentation of blood was a reminder of sin. Yet our gracious God set up this inadequate system to reveal how sin could be fully dealt with, to reveal Jesus and all He would accomplish. These chapters have been addressed to the people of Isreal, God has been instructing the nation how to worship Him with these offerings. Then starting in Chapter 6 verse 8 God repeats the 5 offerings again but this time He is instructing the priest on certain specifics of each offering. God also mentions the ordination offering which is only for priests and we will look at in chapters 8 and 9 when the priests are anointed.
Leviticus 6:8-7:38 ESV
(8) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (9) “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. (10) And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. (11) Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. (12) The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. (13) Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out. (14) “And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the LORD in front of the altar. (15) And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. (16) And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. (17) It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. (18) Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throughout your generations, from the LORD's food offerings. Whatever touches them shall become holy.” (19) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (20) “This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall offer to the LORD on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. (21) It shall be made with oil on a griddle. You shall bring it well mixed, in baked pieces like a grain offering, and offer it for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. (22) The priest from among Aaron's sons, who is anointed to succeed him, shall offer it to the LORD as decreed forever. The whole of it shall be burned. (23) Every grain offering of a priest shall be wholly burned. It shall not be eaten.” (24) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (25) “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering. In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the LORD; it is most holy. (26) The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. In a holy place it shall be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. (27) Whatever touches its flesh shall be holy, and when any of its blood is splashed on a garment, you shall wash that on which it was splashed in a holy place. (28) And the earthenware vessel in which it is boiled shall be broken. But if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water. (29) Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. (30) But no sin offering shall be eaten from which any blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place; it shall be burned up with fire.
Leviticus 7 ESV
(1) “This is the law of the guilt offering. It is most holy. (2) In the place where they kill the burnt offering they shall kill the guilt offering, and its blood shall be thrown against the sides of the altar. (3) And all its fat shall be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails, (4) the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. (5) The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering to the LORD; it is a guilt offering. (6) Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place. It is most holy. (7) The guilt offering is just like the sin offering; there is one law for them. The priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. (8) And the priest who offers any man's burnt offering shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering that he has offered. (9) And every grain offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle shall belong to the priest who offers it. (10) And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron. (11) “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD. (12) If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. (13) With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. (14) And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the LORD. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. (15) And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. (16) But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten. (17) But what remains of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned up with fire. (18) If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be credited to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity. (19) “Flesh that touches any unclean thing shall not be eaten. It shall be burned up with fire. All who are clean may eat flesh, (20) but the person who eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings while an uncleanness is on him, that person shall be cut off from his people. (21) And if anyone touches an unclean thing, whether human uncleanness or an unclean beast or any unclean detestable creature, and then eats some flesh from the sacrifice of the LORD's peace offerings, that person shall be cut off from his people.” (22) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (23) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat. (24) The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account shall you eat it. (25) For every person who eats of the fat of an animal of which a food offering may be made to the LORD shall be cut off from his people. (26) Moreover, you shall eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwelling places. (27) Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.” (28) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (29) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. (30) His own hands shall bring the LORD's food offerings. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering before the LORD. (31) The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast shall be for Aaron and his sons. (32) And the right thigh you shall give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your peace offerings. (33) Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat shall have the right thigh for a portion. (34) For the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a perpetual due from the people of Israel. (35) This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from the LORD's food offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of the LORD. (36) The LORD commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a perpetual due throughout their generations.” (37) This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, (38) which the LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that He commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.
For each offering God is careful to specify what part the priest is allowed to eat or keep as payment. For the whole burnt offering, the priest kept the skins, which echoes back to God’s first sacrifice for Adam and Eve. The priest was allowed to eat part of the grain offering and the meat of a sin or guilt offering as long as the blood was not presented into the tent of meeting. The peace offering was unique and only a part of the animal was given to the priest due to the fellowship meal that this offering involved. The priests did not have an inheritance in the promised land (Josh 13:14; 33). God was their inheritance and He provided for them by sharing in the food from these offerings. This principal has application for the church today.
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 ESV
(13) Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?
(14) In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.
The priests physical needs were provided by serving at the temple/ tabernacle. The priests did not have their own land and were not raising crops or animals, so God put in this provision to care for them. Paul uses this principal to show that the church body should provide for their pastors and staff in the same way. Their living should come through their service to the church. As the passage continues Paul is clear He gave up this right in Corinth, but he used it in other cities. Everyone in the body is called to serve God. Some are to be supported monetarily so that they can have more time to do that. The priests were called to have a vigilance and daily maintenance in there service.
Leviticus 6:9; 12-13 ESV
(9) “Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering shall be on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it.
(12) The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
(13) Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually; it shall not go out.
The priests were to be diligent to never let the fire on the Altar go out. It was their responsibility to tend to the ashes and arrange the wood. Every night they were called to offer a whole burnt offering to keep the fire going throughout the night, and then another whole burnt offering each morning to stoke the fire.
Exodus 29:38-39 ESV
(38) “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly.
(39) One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.
The Bronze Altar was to always have a whole burnt offering smoldering on it. The whole burnt offering represented a heart fully surrendered to God walking in an obedience to Him. The daily repetition and encouragement to keep the fire continually going shows us the need for a constant refreshing in our walk with Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-16 ESV
(12) Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.
(13) Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,
(14) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
(15) Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
(16) Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Paul was careful to press on in His walk with Jesus. He was not satisfied to walk with Jesus yesterday, and take today off. He actively forgot what lies behind, this involves both successes and failures. He understood that He had today to walk with Jesus. He knew what Jesus had done for Him and He did not want to take that for granted. He wanted to press on, every night and every morning refreshing His heart, just like the daily burnt offering. This fresh walk is a mark of maturity. Jesus wants a close daily relationship with us.
It is very important to see that it is a fresh burnt offering each night and morning and not a continual sin offering. The sin offering was given repeatedly, but God did not ask for it daily because it pointed to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice.
Hebrews 9:25-26 ESV
(25) Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,
(26) for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Jesus gave the perfect sin offering, once for all time. Jesus is not continually suffering for sin. Sin has been fully dealt with through His blood. We do not need another sacrifice for sin. Now as believers we have the opportunity daily to walk in a fresh relationship with Him. At times in our walk, we all leave the whole burnt offering unattended for too many days. We just start living and neglect a daily walk with Him. We need to confess this and walk anew with Him. It is a truly amazing thought that the God of the entire universe wants this close and intimate of a relationship with us. The daily maintenance of the priests also points out what will never help us have this kind of walk.
Leviticus 6:10-11 NAS95
(10) 'The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar.
(11) 'Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.
The ashes would build up on the Altar and need to be cleaned out. When the priest was interacting with the Altar, He was to wear special clothing. Then after he collected the ashes, he needed to change into normal cloths and take the ashes outside the camp. This garment change was to remind him of the holiness of the altar and of the work he was doing. What is unique is that God specifically wanted the priest to wear linen underwear.
Exodus 20:26 ESV
(26) And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’
Exodus 28:42-43 ESV
(42) You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from the hips to the thighs;
(43) and they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to minister in the Holy Place, lest they bear guilt and die. This shall be a statute forever for him and for his offspring after him.
God demanding the flesh be covered was in contrast to the other cultures of the day. Priests of other religions would work in various stages of undress and even naked. God was teaching His people what would never help them have a daily walk with Him.
John 6:63 ESV
(63) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.God has systematically shown throughout His Word that the flesh, human effort, and power, are no help at all in living for Him.
To show this God would choose the youngest child instead of oldest to bless. He would choose the weak, and powerless. He even asked the priest to keep their flesh covered when interacting with holy things. This is emphasized so much because we struggle with this idea.
Galatians 5:16-17; 24-25 ESV
(16) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (17) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
(24) And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
(25) If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
The flesh is opposed to the Spirit. Their desires are opposite of each other. As believers our flesh has been crucified through Jesus. We now can live in the Spirit; we are called to keep in step with Him. God desires a closeness with us. The peace offering emphasizes this.
Leviticus 7:11; 15-16 ESV
(11) “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the LORD.
(15) And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning.
(16) But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten.
There were three types of peace offerings: thanksgiving (thanking God), vow (praising God for His faithfulness tied to a vow), and freewill (spontaneous worship of God). The theme of all three is a thankful praise and worship to God. The fat was burnt on the alter to God and the priest received a few cuts of meat and some of the bread but most of the animal and bread was to be eaten by the worshipper and His entourage. It was to be a time of rejoicing.
Deuteronomy 12:12; 17-18 ESV
(12) And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your towns, since he has no portion or inheritance with you.
(17) You may not eat within your towns the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present,
(18) but you shall eat them before the LORD your God in the place that the LORD your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you undertake.
The peace offering was to be a joyful feast attended by many. It was to be eaten before the Lord and enjoying Him. What is crucial to see is that it is God inviting us to His feast, not us inviting God to our feast. The animal was wholly given over to God. Partaking in this meal meant God was sharing and offering fellowship to us. Every other religion gets this backwards. They emphasize man inviting God to feast. The Assyrians talked about inviting the gods into their palace and feasting them. With this thinking it is about what humanity can offer and do for God. The truth is God wants us to rejoice and enjoy the fellowship of what He has done and accomplished. It is His feast and we are invited!
Isaiah 25:6-9 ESV
(6) On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
(7) And He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
(8) He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
(9) It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
We are not the ones who are throwing the feast, it is not about what we can do. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus He will now accomplish all that is promised. He will prepare an amazing feast for us to enjoy. He will swallow death. He will take away our tears. Our part is to be glad and rejoice for all He has done. To keep a fresh walk with Jesus is not about working harder and doing more. It is all about living in the Spirit and walking in a joyful thanksgiving for all He has done. God has so much grace for us and knows we will not do this perfectly. Look at what is to be brought for a peace offering that can seem out of place.
Leviticus 7:13 ESV
(13) With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.
This leavened loaf was meant to be eaten in the feast and was never presented on the altar. We saw earlier in Leviticus that Leaven represents how sin spreads and multiples. This is what makes it being included so gracious of God. To invite us to this feast and fellowship God knows that we will bring our leaven, or sin with us. Our sin is never accepted on the altar, but because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus we are still invited to the feast. He wants a fellowship with us and knows what that means!
Psalm 103:14 ESV
(14) For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
So often we try to forget who we are. We are shocked by our sin, and our failure to walk in a close relationship with God and are ashamed to go back to Him. I want to encourage you to confess and walk fresh. Rejoice in His goodness and all He has accomplished!
Psalm 23:5-6 ESV
(5) You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
(6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.